Oklahoma

Last night we went to see Oklahoma at Fridley High School.  I have seen the movie Oklahoma and the production at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.  This show has some dark themes but this version is the darkest one I've seen.  When Curly (the good guy) comes into Judd's (the bad guy) living quarters in the smoke house and says, "Nice rope you got here.  Excellent rope if you want to consider hanging yourself," I was aghast.  This version also had a dream sequence.  The Persian peddler, Ali Hakim (my nephew) sold the heroine some smelling salts that would help her make up her mind.  After smelling the salts she fell into a opium like sleep.  She dreams about being stalked and chased and threatened.  This show was definitely not all about tall corn, beautiful mornings, and surreys with the fringe on top.  Ali Hakim threw in the much needed comic relief.  He was hilarious.  Judd was also a great character.  He played such a creepy guy that I never noticed, until the final musical number where he is singing the theme song with the rest of the group and smiling, that he probably isn't naturally a creepy guy.  His posture, his facial expressions, his singing all indicated a simmering anger.  After the show I saw him in the hall and he was a totally different person - not creepy at all,  We had a great time watching the show.  I see those people on stage and I think that looks like so much fun.  I'm sure they put in many, many hours of hard work to get there.